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He drained the rest of his drink before answering. “My favorite food is also Italian and my favorite color is green. I am the oldest of three and I like to hike in my spare time.”
She shook her head. “Is Jasmine your half sister?”
An uneasiness tumbled in his belly. “Yeah, same mom.”
“Are your parents still alive?”
He shifted in his seat and picked at the wrapper of the water bottle. “No.”
After a beat of silence, she shared, “I have no idea who my father is, or TJ’s for that matter. I was seven when he was born. My mother wasn’t exactly capable of taking care of us, so I stepped in. I have no idea if she’s dead or alive, but she’s not in our life and that’s a good thing.”
He swallowed. She’d said so much and yet left so many questions swirling in his mind. He’d experienced personally how incapable and downright toxic some parents could be. His gaze flashed to the collar of her jacket where he’d seen the scar earlier. The thought of this beautiful woman being hurt made his body hum with anger. His fists clenched, crunching the plastic.
“Was your situation similar?” she pressed.
Yes. No. “You want to know my childhood story so you can figure me out, Doc? Are you really a nurse or a shrink?” He forced a laugh. When he glanced up, she wasn’t smiling.
“How do you ever expect to get to know someone if you always hide behind that mask of humor?”
His breath stalled. She’d scared the shit out of him. He slipped into the role that came so easily. His voice dropped lower as he gave her a look that usually worked on women. “Oh, I could think of a few creative ways to get to know you.”
She shook her head, disappointedly. For some reason the idea of letting her down made his stomach sink like a rock. But the look that flashed in her eyes grated across his skin. Pity.
“I’m sorry.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” he asked defensively.
“If you can’t be vulnerable with someone, how do you ever expect to share a lifetime?”
“Isn’t that kind of like the pot calling the kettle black?” he snapped.
She crossed her arms over her chest. “I already admitted my faults. This is me being open with you, sharing about my past. I haven’t had many friends before, but isn’t this what friends do—share?”
He swiped a hand through his hair and sighed. “It doesn’t matter. I’m not the marrying kind.”
“What makes you say that?”
He needed to get her off his back. To stop asking him questions he didn’t want to answer. The woman had an uncanny ability to push his buttons and find the weak spots in his defenses. Bently had to push her away, keep her at arm’s length. “I’m the playboy of Shattered Cove, or haven’t you heard?”
She shook her head, disappointed with his answer again.
“Why does this matter to you anyway?” he asked.
“Because no matter how many times you say you’re my friend, the way you look at me says different.”
He leaned in, his eyes locked on hers in this battle of wills. “And what exactly do my eyes tell you?”
She moved closer so that their faces were only a few inches apart. Her sweet breath whispered across his lips. “That you want to strip me down. See me like so few men have.”
His jaw clenched at the thought of another man touching her.
“You want my body, and I’ll admit . . . I want you too.”
He swallowed, hope and lust swirling inside. Yes. He needed to have her and get this out of his system. This woman was driving him mad with desire. Spinning him so out of control, he gripped her face just to ground himself. That was the wrong thing to do. Her soft skin against his rough palms was gasoline onto the burning chaos raging inside him. Her breath quickened, lust and want darkening in those brown-sugar eyes. She wanted him just as badly as he wanted her.
“Bently.”
His name on her lips was his breaking point. He leaned in, swiping his lips across hers softly, gently at first. Energy crackled, want obscured his vision as he kissed her like he’d never kissed before. Overpowering and staggering. Roaring need lit him up, his body glowing red hot from the inside out. Fireworks and explosions rocked through his body as she moaned. He cursed the wooden table between them as he pulled her face closer, tasting the seam of her lush lips with his tongue. Lust blanketed him as he tore his mouth away, searching for a hidden alcove. He needed this woman right the fuck now. If kissing her was this beautifully devastating, being inside her was imperative.
